Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

Ordinarily we call this section "The Basics," but there really isn't anything basic about Quake Wars. It can be a bit intimidating at first, but don't let that scare you. The important thing is that you find a role to help your team. As your skill level increases, you'll be able to get more ambitious with your goals.

Level Progress

Each map is set up so that one side is on defense, and the other side is on offense. Which team does which is predetermined for each map.

The team on offense has a series of objectives to accomplish before the time runs out. Completing one of these main objectives will open up the next one, so they cannot be done out of order.

The defending team has to stall the aggressing team by disrupting them as they attempt to achieve their goals. They do not have specific goals beyond this. If the timer runs down to zero, the defense wins.

Teamwork

As you'd expect, working as a team is critical to your success, and for this reason, having a group of regulars can make the experience more rewarding. Constant communication is not as vital to teamwork in Quake Wars as it is in the likes of CounterStrike or Shadowrun, nor is it as important to stay in small groups like in Team Fortress.

Instead you want to stay aware of the team's progress as a whole, and find out what role that is most neglected. This might mean switching classes, or focusing on a different objective. Is your team struggling with the opposition's defense? Maybe it's time to go distract them and lure them away. Are your teammates being ambushed? Try switching to Field Ops/Infiltrator and establish some radar.

Similarly, try to be aware of your enemy's progress. Find out what they're doing right and respond to it, and find out what they're doing wrong and exploit it. This is one area where reconnaissance can be very valuable. Simply observing your opponent and letting your teammates know how they're progressing can help your team get organized and focus their priorities. A good player will be able to determine his team's needs without being told, but it never hurts to communicate, especially if you are playing on a public server with a new group.

Remember, this isn't a death match. Trying to rack up a lot of kills certainly won't hurt your team, but it's not as important as racking up the right kills. Sometimes your enemy will knowingly make themselves a target to lure you away from the objectives you should be guarding. The important thing is to shut them down, not wipe them out.

Also, remember it's more helpful to kill enemies that have wandered father away from the spawn points. Fragging a player will take him out of commission until the next wave (up to 25 seconds), but if he has a long difficult trek to get back to where he was, you've dealt a more damaging blow.

Classes

Keep tabs on what's being done and select your class carefully. There are five basic classes on each side. Each GDF class has a basic equivalent on the Strogg side, but there are differences that should be appreciated, as well as different armaments that will change up your strategy a bit. Learning to play different classes can make you a more valuable asset to your team, so don't just pick your favorite. You don't need to do it all, but find a few classes you're good at so you can mix it up. If you're feeling uncomfortable with a certain class, remember, you can always play against the computer to get some practice before hopping into a live game. The bots aren't that smart, but you'll still get a feel for how each class can help out.